Zephaniah

Chapter 1

The destruction of Judah is symbolic of the Second Coming—It is the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, a day of wrath and trouble.

1 The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of aJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 I will utterly aconsume all things from off the land, saith the Lord.

3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the astumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.

4 I will also astretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the bChemarims with the priests;

5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the ahousetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by bMalcham;

6 And them that are aturned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him.

7 aHold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the bday of the Lordis at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange aapparel.

9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap aon the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish agate, and an howling from bthe second, and a great crashing from the hills.

11 Howl, ye inhabitants of aMaktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are asettled on their blees: that say in their heart, The Lord will cnot do good, neither will he do evil.

13 Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also abuild houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall bplant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.

14 The agreat day of the Lordis near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and adesolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the afire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.